53 PROFILE customers worldwide. It has also enabled us to engage and talk about our love of art and craft, helping and encouraging people to do the things they are passionate about. How wonderful to be able to look and talk to likeminded people on the other side of the world! Now, that’s something I feel we’ve all needed over the last 12 months! Unity. How often do you launch new ranges? We’ve quite a lot of new and exciting products launching this year and not just stamps I might add! We’ve been working on new concepts throughout 2021 and feel excited at the possibilities that lie ahead and what’s in store for us in 2022. I’m always working on several things at any one time, it takes me a while to complete any one project. It can sometimes take months to perfect. We always aim for a stamp release to be four times a year. However, we’re continually developing products under our own brand and have had several releases in 2021. Next year is no exception as we’ll continue to develop more concepts in 2022. How would you advise a retailer who is interested in stocking your products? We supply shops with our products worldwide and have a fantastic customer service team. We’re always happy to help and advise new or existing customers on our products. We have a wide knowledge on all that we sell, which is important for any new retailers to understand our product range. We have a trade website which is linked to our retail site. All we ask is that you supply the relevant details online. It’s very quick and easy. We’ll also update retailers with new stock or new products via a regular newsletter. What sets you apart from your competitors? We have an original style that has generated us a worldwide following. I draw everything by hand. These images come from the heart where a huge amount of time is spent on perfecting the designs and detail. The stamp detail is our speciality and what we are known for. We work very closely with our manufacturing team who are also hugely passionate about what we do. Thanks to them our stamps are of an exceptional quality and highly detailed. We intend to be around a long time, so quality is important to us. Do you visit any trade shows? Do you plan to visit any soon? We attend Creativeworld in Frankfurt every year and love this show. It has fascinating workshops and product demonstrations and there’s a real buzz about the place. It’s always well attended although sadly Lavinia Stamps won’t be there 2022 due to the pandemic. But we hope to be exhibiting in 2023, which seems a while away, but I’m sure will be here before we know it. How did business cope during the Covid-19 pandemic and what are your plans going forward? We feel incredibly fortunate to be so busy during these strange times. It’s been tough juggling duties, furloughing several staff but our customers have been fantastic − so supportive and patient. Our social media presence has exploded − the inspiration, the artwork the support in our Facebook groups have been amazing. We believe that it’s about being there for each other and sharing how we feel. I’m so proud to be part of such a positive Facebook page. I love it. We have had some beautiful emails from customers thanking us for posting daily tutorials and how it’s helped them during these unprecedented times. It’s a wonderful feeling when you can make someone’s day a little brighter, lift their troubles away − even if it’s just for an hour. Our social media pages are a great source of visual information on what we do. LAVINIA STAMPS https://www.facebook.com/LaviniaStamps https://www.youtube.com/user/LaviniaStampsVideos/ https://www.pinterest.co.uk/laviniastamps/_ https://www.instagram.com/laviniastamps/
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